


All Aboard the SMS Bee

by d4n1



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Healing, High School AU, Hurt/Comfort, I like how Yang is universally accepted as an abomination to the English written text, Implied/Referenced Abuse, It's a sass fest of gay messes, Misconceptions Galore, PSA, Pyrrha and Yang are the bestest of bros, Reconciliation on Blake's part, Slice of Life, Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24760486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d4n1/pseuds/d4n1
Summary: The epitome of "cool" and co-all-star of Beacon Academy exchanges messages with the girl simply wanting to leave the past behind and start the next chapter in life. Phones buzzing, two strangers find themselves embarking on a trip through the waters of life and hoping for smooth sailing ahead.Modern AU where Yang gets too flirty via text towards an unknown number and Blake finds herself going along with it.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 83





	1. Incipient

**Author's Note:**

> Hello ~ thank you very much for clicking to read this work!
> 
> This fanfic is heavily inspired by how prominent technological communication has become, especially during this global pandemic and other current events.
> 
> With so many things going on in the world right now, I am writing this fanfic as a way to cope and distract myself from everything.
> 
> Indulging in escapism is okay — BUT it is important to not fully ignore what is going on.
> 
>  **Here are some helpful links:** ( _*right click* to open link in new tab_ )  
> \- [Interactive **Mental Health Checkpoint** \- Information and Resources](https://checkpoint.carrd.co/) ( _***added on 26/06/2020_ )  
> \- [ Helpful link of **Resources Categorized by Topics**](https://togetherweare-strong.tumblr.com/websites) ( _***added on 06/07/2020_ )  
> \- [**COVID-19 – Information and Resources** provided by the Australian Government Department of Health](https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/what-you-need-to-know-about-coronavirus-covid-19) ( _***added on 18/06/2020_ )  
> \- [**CDC COVID-19 – Information and Resources**](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html) ( _***added on 18/06/2020_ )  
> \- [**World Health Organization COVID-19** \- Information and Resources](https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019%E2%80%9D%20rel=) ( _***added on 18/06/2020_ )  
> \- [CDC Information of **Coping with the Stress of the Pandemic**](https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html)  
>  \- [**Mental Health and COVID-19** – Information and Resources](https://mhanational.org/covid19)  
> \- [**Black Lives Matter** \- information and ways you can help](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/)  
> \- [**The Yemen Crisis** \- information and ways you can help](https://yemencrisis.carrd.co/)  
> \- [**Missing Indigenous Womxn** \- information and ways you can help](https://mmiwresources.carrd.co/) ( _***added on 20/06/2020_ )  
> \- [**Issues Going on in the World Masterpost** \- information and ways you can help](https://issuesintheworld.carrd.co/) ( _***added on 29/06/2020_ )  
> 
> 
> ## Stay safe and take care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoy the rest of what is to come in this fanfic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ***edited on 18/06/2020**  
>  \- _Modified how the number is displayed on the text messages._
> 
>  ***edited on 20/06/2020**  
>  \- _Added sentences for clarification._
> 
>  ***edited on 26/06/2020**  
>  \- _Minor grammatical mistakes corrected._
> 
>  ***edited on 29/06/2020**  
>  \- _Translations of Yang's texts are now added! You can access them by hiding the Creator's Style._  
>  \- _Text bubble colors now coincide with who sent what._

Blake transferred to Beacon Academy her senior year, despite the protest of her parents and the myth that it may affect her prospect in applying for colleges.

 _Honey, but your credits_. Her mother had held onto her hand tight when she had proposed the move to her parents. Ghira was silent, his mien neutral as he stared beyond his daughter at the wall.

It was probably not a good idea to tell her parents she was transferring schools the same day she was leaving Menagerie for Vale.

 _I’ve checked, they’ll all transfer. I already sent my transcripts to the school_. It took all the strength in her to shake her hands out of her mother’s grip. _I’ll be fine. Really. Velvet says it’s nice there and I could live with her instead of the dorms_.

And it’s safe and normal and _new_ , Blake had wanted to say but she held herself back.

 _Blake_ , Kali sighed, placing her hands on her father’s forearm now that they no longer held her daughter’s. Her name a plea on her mother’s lips, _please_.

Her mother did not say any more.

She did not have to.

Her parents knew the reason why.

There was only nothing and everything unpleasant here for her, barring her parents and the amount of friends she could count on one hand.

Blake forced herself to look at her parents, knowing it will be a while till she saw them face to face.

Her heart nearly broke.

They looked older than she remembered. Her mother's eyes framed with dark circles, amber eyes swimming with worry – wrinkles and age spots blemished her face, Blake unable to recall them being there if ever. She looked small and frail as if every year that passed withered her down. Her father's usually towering stature was now slumped on a chair, weary and wan. His dandelion gaze serious and absent, as if he were somewhere else – nostrils flaring despite his poker face.

 _I have to go_. Blake gave an apologetic nod and slowly backed out of the house, her belongings – at least that which she considered essential – all contained in the travel backpack slung on her shoulder. _I promise I’ll keep in touch_.

Her father gave no indication of acknowledging that she was just a step from being completely out of the house, still refusing to look her in the eye.

Blake felt her heart drop to her gut as she forced herself to pass the front door. She gulped the rock that seemed to have been stuck in her throat and said her last words, _I love you_ , before turning around and running full speed towards the docks.

As she neared the boat taking her away from home, she could not help but imagine how her mother probably lost the strength to stand and broke down in tears. Or how her father finally broke from his daze and was on his way towards the docks to stop her from leaving the island.

Blake increased her speed.

She _had_ to leave the island.

She needed a fresh start.

 _Bzzt_.

Blake opened her eyes, startled. Neck stiff and back aching, she sat up from her position and stretched, trying to forget the memory that had resurfaced during her slumber. She looked around and oriented herself to her surrounding, finding the familiarity of the bookshelves ahead of her.

The library. Right.

It was after school hours and she had decided to spend time in the library to try and finish her college entrance essays before falling asleep.

 _Bzzt_.

Her phone vibrated, shaking the table with it – the probable reason she woke from her nap.

 _Bzzt_.

 _Bzzt_.

Blake huffed and grabbed her phone, unlocking it to determine the reason for the buzz. In her inbox were multiple unread messages from an unknown number.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
hey  
heyyyy  
dun ignor meeeeee ( **Translation:** _Don’t ignore me_ )  
yooohoooo

She stared at the texts, dumbfounded, wondering if she should even bother texting this person back. As she was about to make a decision, her phone buzzed once more.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
helloooooo??

Blake decided to text back so that whoever was sending her messages would stop blowing her phone up.

** [Blake]: **  
Who is this?

The sender was quick to reply.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
haha vry funny P ( **Translation:** _Haha, very funny, P_ )  
t(=n=)  
wher u at?? ( **Translation:** _Where you at?_ )  
u promisd t pick me up tday ( **Translation:** _You promised to pick me up today_ )  
its raining ( **Translation:** _It’s raining_ )

Blake knit her brows together and looked at the messages on her phone. Putting two and two together, she sighed and typed back a response.

** [Blake]: **  
Whoever you are, I believe you have the wrong number.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
??  
????  
dats cold ( **Translation:** _That’s cold_ )  
<(｀^´)>  
ive had ur num memryzd since frosh yr ( **Translation:** _I’ve had your number memorized since freshman year_ )  
cmon ( **Translation:** _Come on_ )  
its rly pouring out ( **Translation:** _It’s really pouring outside_ )

She found herself frowning. Anyone would notice by now that they were obviously texting the wrong person.

** [Blake]: **  
I really do believe that you have the wrong number  
I have no clue who you are and I definitely do not know anybody who texts this way.  


** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
okk

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
okkkkk

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
b lyk dat ( **Translation:** _Be like that_ )

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]:**  
(๑･`▱´･๑)

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
jst so u kno( **Translation:** _Just so you know_ )

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
ur d rzn y im gonna get sik ( **Translation:** _You’re the reason why I’m going to get sick_ )

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
totes rainin on my parade ( **Translation:** _Totally raining on my parade_ )

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
bcuz u gav me no choyz bt t wlk home in dis rain ( **Translation:** _Because you gave me no choice but to walk home in this rain_ )

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
im litrly parading in d rain rn ( **Translation:** _I’m literally parading in the rain right now_ )

_Bzzt_.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
ಠ╭╮ಠ

Blake ignored the last few texts and silenced her phone before placing it in her pocket.

Judging from the lack of patrons in the library, it must’ve been late in the day and it was about time for her to head home. She began to gather her things and pack them in her backpack.

Remembering the text message conversation, Blake looked through her backpack hoping that her umbrella was inside.

She paused, feeling silly for doing that. There was no telling where the person from the text lived. The area code was not the same as the number she received when she got a phone the first week she arrived Vale. The likelihood they were in the same city was slim.

Still, Blake continued to look for it. Thankfully the compact black umbrella was in the bag. She praised her past self for always being prepared.

When she stepped out of the building, Blake was met with a downpour mixed with the grey August humidity. Bringing her backpack snug to her front, she unfolded the umbrella and stepped into to rain, running to the bus station.

~§~§~

Her roommate was seated on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on her lap and a cheesy Rom-Com movie playing on the television. Pyrrha was about to pop some of the snack in her mouth when Yang burst through the door.

“Pyrrha, I swear to God, you better have a good excuse for ghosting me.” Yang puffed as she walked into their apartment, clothes wet and sticking to her skin, a puddle forming underneath her.

Looking at the state of her roommate, Pyrrha raised a brow. “Ghosting you?”

Yang dropped her belongings by the door, sauntered over to Pyrrha, and began to shake her hair all over, bringing the rain into the apartment and letting Pyrrha experience it.

“What the—?!” Pyrrha covered her face, “Yang! Stop! You’re making a mess!”

“That’s,” _shake_ , “what,” _shake_ , “you,” _shake_ , “get,” Yang fluffed her hair for good measure before she stopped and glared at her, “for leaving me out in the rain.”

Pyrrha gave her an exasperated look as she wiped herself down with her hands. “I don’t quite follow.”

“Yeah, right,” Yang snorted and walked into the shared bathroom and grabbed a towel from the rack and began to dry her hair. “I won’t forget this, Nikos.”

“Again,” Pyrrha looked down and sighed at the ruined snack and stood to throw away the now soaked popcorn. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yang unattached her prosthetic arm from her right arm and pointed the metal fingers to Pyrrha who returned to the couch after placing the bowl in the sink. “Don’t act innocent and check your phone to remind yourself of your wrongdoing.”

“You’re so dramatic.” Pyrrha rolled her eyes and unlocked her phone to entertain Yang’s accusation. Going to her inbox and seeing no new messages in the past couple of hours, she smirked and showed it to Yang who scowled at her. “Nothing, see? You owe me an apology.”

Yang placed her prosthetic on the bathroom counter and took her phone from her back pocket. She wiped the rain from it with the towel before she showed the conversation to Pyrrha. “ _You’re_ the one who owes me an apology.”

After reading the messages, Pyrrha laughed and grabbed Yang’s phone from her hand and presented the screen to her, pointing to the number displayed. “Yang, that’s not my number.”

Yang squinted at the screen.

“It’s a 9 here instead of a 6.” Pyrrha pushed her phone closer to her eyes. “See?”

Realizing her mistake, Yang gave a repentant look to Pyrrha before grumbling a, “Sorry.”

Pyrrha nodded and handed her phone back. “That’s what you get for not saving people’s numbers.”

“I don’t need to. I memorized whose number is which.” Yang snatched her phone back and stuck her tongue out.

Pyrrha scoffed. “That’s obviously not the case.”

“Oh?” Yang slammed her phone on the bathroom counter near her prosthetic arm, taking a step forward to be face to face with her roommate, “You want to go, Nikos?”

Pyrrha made a motion that made it look like she was pushing imaginary sleeves to her elbows. She straightened her back to accentuate the height she held over Yang. “Any time, Xiao Long.”

The two simply stared at each other, the only sound heard in the room was the _plip-plup_ of water falling from Yang’s wet hair, before they broke into laughter.

Pyrrha and Yang considered each other their rival since elementary.

It all started when they had faced each other during a very heated lacrosse match one spring. They became fast competitors who continually tried to one-up the other in any of the sports they shared in common as they grew up. Coming from different kingdoms, they often exchanged taunting messages to each other before their competitions.

When they both arrived to Beacon Academy, their rivalry intensified as they vied for the number one spot. The whole school knew of their rivalry and their matches were some of the highlights of school activity. Sports teams lined up to ask for each of them to help out with activities.

They became close sophomore year when one freak accident happened during an ardent basketball skirmish that left them both with wounds that affected their lives.

They had collided with one another during one of their matches as they fought for the ball.

Pyrrha’s left Achilles tendon had ruptured leading to an awful ankle sprain causing her to fall on her knees, fracturing her patella and tibia in the process. An intramedullary rod had to be placed to aid with the nasty fracture. The injury had left her unable to walk for months and still affects her gait, especially during rainy days.

Yang had fallen back, landing on and fracturing her right arm, her ulna splintering into many pieces from the impact and the radius dislodging itself and managed to protrude out her skin in an open fracture. Unfortunately, she had developed an infection during the healing process that required her right arm below her elbow to be amputated.

Having gone to the same physical therapy clinic, Pyrrha and Yang found themselves becoming friends with their rivals as they both recovered and learned to live with their injuries. It was their second semester sophomore year that they decided to rent an apartment together.

“I guess I have to send an apology to the other person.” Yang said as she wiped down the television. They had returned to living area to clean the apartment from the rain she had brought in before she showered.

“Fix the way you text first, you heathen.” Pyrrha finished wiping the coffee table down and took the cloth from Yang, making her way to the kitchen sink to wash them. “I’m sure the other person got a headache just from reading your texts. I know I did.”

Yang made her way back to the shared bathroom and turned the bathtub faucet, waiting for the hot water to kick in. “Make me.”

Pyrrha paused in her task and turned to raise a brow at her roommate, a smirk on her polite face. “I can wipe the floor with your face, Blondie.”

“Not before I make you eat dirt, Rusty.” Yang chuckled as she winked at her before closing the door to shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yang's phone number is from Souja Boy's [Kiss Me Thru the Phone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Fbo4kU2AU) because of course it is.
> 
> Can you guess Blake's?
> 
> Stay awesome.


	2. Click of the Keyboards

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I’m having too much fun typing out Yang’s texts.
> 
> This chapter turned out to be 26 pages on Word including all the codes to make the texts.
> 
> 26 pages.
> 
> RIP.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
>  ***edited on 29/06/2020**  
>  \- _Translations of Yang's texts are now added! You can access them by hiding the Creator's Style._  
>  \- _Text bubble colors now coincide with who sent what._
> 
>  ***edited on 30/06/2020**  
>  \- _Missing sentences completed and character background information added for clarification._  
>  \- _Major grammatical mistakes corrected._

Behind closed doors, Blake could hear the muffled voices of Coco and Velvet over the sound of running water from the kitchen sink.

Coco and Velvet are a good two years older than Blake and were currently sophomores at the Beacon University a couple of miles from the Academy.

Blake had grown up next door to the Scarlatina family and had known Velvet since she barely learned how to walk. She considered Velvet to be family and was glad Velvet felt the same, happily taking on the older sister role growing up.

She had heard much about Coco from Velvet when they would catch each other up about their lives since Velvet had decided to leave home and attend university in a different kingdom. Blake had officially met Coco the first day she arrived to Vale. It was on that day she understood why Velvet would often talk about Coco more than the other people she had met during her time in Vale when Velvet nervously introduced Coco as her girlfriend.

Blake found herself indebted to the both of them, thankful at how helpful they have been during her move to Vale.

Coco had come over to visit after returning from her two week internship in Vacuo. As soon as dinner and the pleasantries and catching ups were done, she had retreated into the bigger room with Velvet in tow.

Blake thought it would be nice to give them some privacy as they have not seen each other in a while and volunteered to clean up after dinner. She actually did not mind the chore despite her dislike of water.

It’s been a month already since Blake left home and settled in Vale. Together with Velvet – and Coco, since she practically lived with them with how much time she spent at their place – they found an decently priced two bedroom, two bath apartment a couple of bus stops away from the school and university they attended.

To cover her expenses, Blake managed to land a part-time job at the local library as an assistant for a couple of hours every weekday after school. The director was not too keen on hiring her because of her student status, but Blake appealed and proved her work. It was not glamorous, but the pay was good for not having gone to university, and Blake was able to spend time in her favorite place.

As she finished washing the last utensil, her thoughts went to her parents.

 _It’s still so hot here, but the fig trees and grape vines are starting to bloom. It’s going to be quite a harvest when they’re ripe._ Her mother would send her messages about life back in Kuo Kuana. _Missing you lots, honey. I’m sure your father feels the same. Hope all is well._

 _I’m good. Miss you, too_. Blake would respond with short texts and awkward selfies to prove that she was doing fine. _Tell dad I say ‘hi.’_

A phone call was yet to be made.

Being honest to herself, Blake knew that as soon as she heard her parents’ voices she would break down and probably be on the first ship back to Menagerie.

The guilt and shame she felt on springing up her basically uprooting her life to a new kingdom was still there, but she was glad that she was still able to reach out to them.

 _Not like last time_ , she closed her eyes and sighed.

_Bzzt. Ding!_

_Bzzt. Ding!_

_Bzzt. Ding!_

The notification from the phone took her from her from introspection.

Blake dried her hands with the towel that was hung on the handle of the stove oven before walking to her phone on the dinning table. She sat down and looked at her phone, groaning when she saw the familiar number.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
h  
hewwo? ( **Translation:** _Hello_ )  
it me ( **Translation:** _It’s me_ )

She was very tempted to simply block the number, but she replied hoping this will end the contact once and for all.

** [Blake]: **  
I thought it’s already been established that you have the wrong number. Why do you continue to send me messages?

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
ik ik ( **Translation:** _I know, I know_ )  
dat wuz my b ( **Translation:** _That was my bad_ )  
i jst wntd t say im srry ( **Translation:** _I just wanted to say I’m sorry_ )  
dint mean t txt u lyk data ( **Translation:** _Didn’t mean to text you like that_ )  
i rly thot u wer som1 Ls ( **Translation:** _I really thought you were someone else_ )

Before Blake was able to type out “ _I suppose your apology is accepted_ ,” a new message came.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
nway ( **Translation:** _Anyway_ )  
hope d rain dint afect u ( **Translation:** _Hope the rain didn’t affect you_ )  
as mch as it did t me ( **Translation:** _As much as it did to me_ )  
cuz wen it rains hurr in Vale ( **Translation:** _Because when it rains here in Vale_ )  
it RAINS

** [Blake]: **  
Wait, how do you know I’m in Vale?

Blake paused, her brows knitting at the last couple of messages. Even if they did know where she was, she just confirmed her location.

_Bzzt. Ding!_

_Bzzt. Ding!_

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
ur num? ( **Translation:** _Your number?_ )  
d gud ol 629 ( **Translation:** _The good old 629_ )

Blake tapped her phone on her forehead.

Of course.

_Bzzt. Ding!_

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
i dnt nrmaly txt randm numbs ( **Translation:** _I don’t normally text random numbers_ )

** [Blake]: **  
Neither do I.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
bt u dnt sem lyk a bad persn ( **Translation:** _But you don’t seem like a bad person_ )

** [Blake]: **  
You’re awfully trusting.  
How would you know?

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
u ansr my txts lol ( **Translation:** _You answer my texts; LOL = laugh out loud_ )  
nd ur supr ez t tlk t ( **Translation:** _And you’re super easy to talk to_ )  
u wudv tld me off by now ( **Translation:** _You would have told me off by now_ )

** [Blake]: **  
Frankly, I’m super close to blocking you.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
butt u havnt!! ( **Translation:** _But you haven’t!_ )  
( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧

** [Blake]: **  
That can be arranged right now.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
lol  
dun wrry ( **Translation:** _Don’t worry_ )  
im no stngr dngr ( **Translation:** _I’m no stranger danger_ )  
( ᐛ )

** [Blake]: **  
That’s not suspicious at all.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
rly!!! ( **Translation:** _Really!_ )  
i swer!!! ( **Translation:** _I swear!_ )  
but  
wut if ( **Translation:** _What if_ )  
wut if ( **Translation:** _What if_ )

** [Blake]: **  
Dear brothers Grimm.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
hear me out  
wut if ( **Translation:** _What if_ )  
insted ( **Translation:** _Instead_ )  
u wer d strngr dngr all along ( **Translation:** _You were the stranger danger all along_ )  
(๑ↀᆺↀ๑)

Blake could not stop her snort.

** [Blake]: **  
Please.  
You’re the one who’s been texting wrong numbers.  
There’s _definitely_ nothing strange or dangerous about that at all.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
lmao ( **Translation:** _LMAO = laughing my ass off_ )  
so r u? ( **Translation:** _So are you?_ )

** [Blake]: **  
...  
Shut up.

** [(678) 999-8212]: **  
HA  
got eem ( **Translation:** _‘got eem’ = An exclamation used after a brilliant comeback, that is incapable of being topped (source: Urban Dictionary)_ )  
!(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

“What’s got you grinning wide like that, Cheshire cat? Your phone’s been going off.”

Blake jumped from her seat, nearly dropping her phone on the floor.

She looked behind her and saw Coco, sunglasses lowered and a brow raised. Velvet stood next to her, Coco’s arm around her shoulders, a similar curious expression on her face, but less sassy. “Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen you with that expression since you got here. What’s up, Blake?”

Blake felt her face getting hot under Coco’s smirk, not realizing that she had been smiling.

“Just some strange person.” Blake shrugged, handing her phone to Coco who began to scroll through her messages before handing it to Velvet who did the same. “They texted the wrong number and they continue to text me even after the fact.”

Coco hummed, “Seems harmless for now.” Blake could have sworn she saw a strange look of recognition in Coco’s expression. “Tell me when it starts getting weird.”

“Are you headed out?” Blake asked, changing the subject, not wanting to ask Coco to clarify what she meant by _weird_.

Coco nodded and gave Velvet’s shoulders a squeeze. “I would love to stay longer, but I have to go unpack before the semester starts picking up. I'm already a month behind in school.”

"A month behind?" Blake looked at her in disbelief. "But it's only August!"

"Sad fact they don't teach you about college is that you're behind weeks worth of assignments on the first day." Coco took off her sunglassess and placed them snug on the collar of her shirt, Velvet affirming her statement with a nod.

Blake frowned. "That's not fair."

"Tell me about it." Coco gave her a pat on the head. "Anyway, I've got to get going."

“Why don’t you just move in with us? You basically live in Velvet’s room anyway.”

“Blake!” Velvet shoved Blake’s phone back into her hands, pale face turning the same shade as her surname.

“What?” Blake sat up, straightening her posture – smug – noticing how Coco’s cheeks turned pink as well. “It’s true.”

Seeming to recover, Coco’s smirk was back on her face. “Oh, _I’m_ not moving in for your sake, Belladonna.”

“For my sake?” Blake repeated after her, wrinkling her nose. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The day I move in,” Coco repositioned her arm from Velvet’s shoulder to her back, lightly squeezing her girlfriend’s side, “will be the day you will beg to move out.”

“Coco!” Velvet shrieked, elbowing her arm away. "Enough!"

“Eugh.” Blake pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “Keep it in the bedroom, please.”

“Oh? I don’t mind an audience.” Coco anchored her hand on the hem of Velvet’s pants and firmly pulled her closer. Velvet lips trembled in embarrassment, unable to find her words as she squirmed from Coco’s hold, shooting Blake apologetic looks.

“Goodbye!” Blake pushed the chair back, making an awful _screech_ as it scraped the floor, and marched to her room.

“Don’t put out if you can’t handle what comes next, kiddo.” She heard Coco taunt before she slammed her bedroom door.

Blake heard Velvet hiss, “I cannot believe you did that!”

“What? But, babe, _she_ started it!” Coco laughed.

"And _you_ were supposed to end it like a responsible adult."

"Oh, honey. I kept it PG."

Blake let out a groan and buried her face in her hands, feeling the heat transferring to her cold fingers. No doubt, her face was beet red.

~§~§~

There was a substitute teacher in her last class that day. Their teacher had left a note on the chalkboard at the front of the class of the number of pages in their school workbook they needed to complete.

The room was silent as the students diligently worked on their task. Yang did not blame the disinterest of the substitute teacher as they stayed seated behind the desk reading a book.

Thirty minutes left of the school day, Yang managed to accomplish half of the assigned pages. At this point, she had grown bored of the silence.

Making sure the substitute teacher was not looking, she took her phone out from the pocket of her skirt uniform, hiding it under her workbook to discreetly send a message.

** [Yang]: **  
hallo halo ( **Translation:** _Hello, hello_ )  
watchu doin?? ( **Translation:** _What you doing?_ )

_Bzzt. Ding!_

_Bzzt. Ding!_

Yang eyes shot up from phone and suddenly scanned the room for the source of the sound.

It had come from the front of the room, near the teacher’s desk judging by the front row students quickly rummaging through their bags or pockets to check on their phone.

“No phones, please.” The substitute halfheartedly said, not bothering to look up from reading their book.

Yang chuckled under her breath and shook her head. _Who doesn’t put their phone on 'silent' during school?_

Her attention was brought back to her phone when it lit up, displaying the response. She grinned at how quick the person she texted was to answer.

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
I’m in the middle of something.  
May I help you?

** [Yang]: **  
ac2ly yis! ( **Translation:** _Actually, yes!_ )  
i wntd t x u somting ( **Translation:** _I wanted to ask you something_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Is that so?  
I’m afraid on what you’re going to ask me.

** [Yang]: **  
dis ran dom ( **Translation:** _This is random_ )  
but  
wut r d chances weev met e@ othr irl? ( **Translation:** _What are the chances we’ve met each other in real life?_ )

It’s been a good two weeks and a half since Yang had texted the wrong number.

Yang treated this interaction as if it was like making a new friend and continued to text them. There was something about the anonymity texting this person provided that Yang was learning to appreciate.

Their conversations were casual for the most part, usually involving Yang sharing to the stranger about her day. Yang found herself looking forward to every response, quickly reacting to every notification; the short, blunt responses gave Yang a bizarre sense of comfort. It surprised her how easy it was to converse with this person.

Thankfully, the other person was not a creep.

Of course, she was not one hundred percent certain, but, from the messages they exchanged so far, they seemed like they were a good person. Nonchalant, reserved, and serious, _sure_ , but they were able to keep up with Yang’s silliness – which she really appreciated.

Only a select few were able to handle her antics.

The person she had been texting reminded her a bit of Pyrrha.

When she had mentioned that to her roommate, all she received was a strange look.

 _I sure hope that's not the case because the faces you've been making towards your phone lately is not something I'd like directed towards me._ Pyrrha had said shaking, as if her whole body was rejecting the statement. Yang had elbowed her side leading to small scuffle between the two of them.

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Highly unlikely.  
Vale is a big city.

** [Yang]: **  
yeaaaaa  
but issa smol wrld aftr all ( **Translation:** _But it’s a small world after all_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
True, but the world is not THAT small.

** [Yang]: **  
we cud b nebors! ( **Translation:** _We could be neighbors!_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Sure, I’m the neighborhood old person sitting on the park bench feeding the strays.

** [Yang]: **  
nahh  
frm d way u txt ( **Translation:** _From the way you text_ )  
ur probs lyk 25 or somting ( **Translation:** _You’re probably like 25 or something_ )  
bt den agen ( **Translation:** _But then again_ )  
ik ppl my age who txt lyk u ( **Translation:** _I know people my age who text like you_ )  
so  
college student?  
or a yuppie ( **Translation:** _‘yuppie’ = A young person with a well-paid job and a fashionable lifestyle (source: Wikipedia)_ )  
prob a yuppie ( **Translation:** _Probably a ‘yuppie’_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
What’s a ‘yuppie?’

** [Yang]: **  
hmm  
so not a yuppie den ( **Translation:** _So not a ‘yuppie’ then_ )  
mayb ur lyk in ur 30s ( **Translation:** _Maybe you’re like in your 30s_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
I’m not sure whether I should be insulted by your perception of me.  
Actually, I feel strangely offended.

Yang smiled, biting the inside of her cheek to suppress her giggle.

** [Yang]: **  
nothin wrng wid bein oldr ( **Translation:** _Nothing wrong with being older_ )  
age is but a numbr ( **Translation:** _Age is but a number_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Please don't repeat that phrase ever again. Age matters in many circumstances.  
And just so you know, I’m younger than 30.  
I’m most likely older than you.  
From the way you text, you’re probably a 14-year-old or something.

** [Yang]: **  
lol  
nice  
i lyk it wen ur feisty ( **Translation:** _I like it when you’re feisty_ )  
( b ^w^ d )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Shut up.

** [Yang]: **  
fyi ( **Translation:** _FYI = for your information_ )  
im 17 going on 18~ ( **Translation:** _I’m 17 going on 18_ )  
yang wild n free ( **Translation:** _Yang, wild, and free_ )

Yang snickered at the way she was revealing her information. _Not like they’re going to know._

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Oh. We’re about the same age then.  
Wait.  
No…

** [Yang]: **  
no?

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
I can’t believe I disclosed my age to you.

** [Yang]: **  
hey dancing queen~♪  
u gotta bware b canny n careful Liesl~♪ ( **Translation:** _You got to beware, be canny, and careful, Leisl (reference to The Sound of Music)_ )  
so ur in high skool?? ( **Translation:** _So, you’re in high school?_ )  
do u go t Beacon? ( **Translation:** _Do you go to Beacon?_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
*dotdotdot*

There was no response, just a series of ellipses.

A couple of minutes passed and the ellipses disappeared, but a text did not follow.

Yang frowned. The other person was someone who was very cautious, rarely divulging information about themselves. It was obvious having their age revealed bothered them.

Did she go too far?

In the middle of typing out an apology, a reply interrupted.

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
I will neither confirm nor deny that.

Yang let out a breath she did not know she was holding. For a brief moment, she thought they had finally made on their word and blocked her.

** [Yang]: **  
ohhh!  
so u do!! ( **Translation:** _So you do!_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Stranger danger.

** [Yang]: **  
（ ; ; ）  
i thot we alrdy s tablishd i wsnt a strngr ( **Translation:** _I thought we already established I wasn’t a stranger_ )

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
I’m still on the fence about that.  
;B

** [Yang]: **  
(*ﾟﾛﾟ)  
omggg ( **Translation:** _OMG = oh my gosh_ )  
an emoticon  
who r u ( **Translation:** _Who are you_ )

The shrill ring of the school bell interrupted Yang’s attention from her phone.

"Class dismissed." The substitute teacher placed their book down on the teacher's desk, stood from their seat, and started to wipe the chalkboard clean with the designated rag usually found on the chalk ledge.

There was a collective sigh from the students as they put a pause on their schoolwork and began to gather their things and pack their bags - the classroom slowly becoming lively with student chatter.

** [(629) 489-4608]: **  
Ha. Ha.  
:)  
Anyway, I have to go.  
Talk to you later.

** [Yang]: **  
yea l8r ( **Translation:** _Yeah, later_ )

Yang put her phone back into her pocket before she shut her workbook and put her things into her bag, a standard sports duffel. She stood and slung the bag over her left shoulder and headed towards the gymnasium.

~§~§~

When Yang arrived at the field after changing into a simple tank shirt and gym shorts, she was surprised to find it nearly empty apart from a few girls from the volleyball team walking towards her. She spotted Pyrrha and their friend, Weiss, gathering multi-colored plastic traffic cones by the outdoor bleachers and jogged towards them.

Yang had met Weiss during her first day of orientation. Weiss was a self-proclaimed _“Number One Fan”_ of Pyrrha Nikos and would constantly debate with Yang about who was the _true_ all-star of Beacon Academy during their freshmen year. It was all in good fun and Yang found it amusing how passionate Weiss became when it came to proving Pyrrha’s awesomeness.

Now that they were older and closer, Weiss is ashamed at how immature she had been. Of course, Yang would remind her of those times once in a while when the two of them would argue.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Yang automatically placed her things on the bleachers when she got close and helped them with picking up the cones. “Where’s everybody going?”

“The field was too soft because of all the rain we’ve been having lately,” Pyrrha brought the stack of cones she had collected and placed it underneath the bleacher, “and the basketball kids have the gym, so coach called off practice.”

“Oh.” Yang paused from picking up the final cone at the mention of a certain word, feeling a slight tingle in her right arm as the prosthetic fingers gripped too tightly on the plastic cone. She took a deep breath and added the last cone to her stack before doing the same thing Pyrrha did. “What’re you going to do then?”

“Pyrrha and I were thinking of going to the library to study till dinner time.” Weiss soon joined her, doing the same with what she had gathered. “Jaune, Nora, and Ren will probably join in as well after their club activities.”

“Study?” Yang brushed her hands together to rid of the dirt it picked up from the cones. “What for? Do we have a test coming up?”

“It’s already September, Yang.” Weiss said as if it was something it was something obvious she should have already known.

Yang simply gave her a blank stare. “Yeah, and?”

“That means it’s about time to start studying for entrance exams and writing our essays.” Weiss rolled her eyes and placed a hand on her hips. “You know, the things that are important when applying to universities?”

“Ugh.” Yang crossed her arms, shivering. “Is it that time already? Didn’t the semester just start?”

“Well it is always better to be prepared.” Weiss walked over the bleachers to grab her things, slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder. "It's senior year, Yang. It's time to start getting ready to be an adult."

“Why are you so eager to grow up? It sucks getting old.” Yang muttered.

“Look at it this way,” Pyrrha offered Yang a small smile and a pat on her shoulder, “if you have everything done, you can goof off next semester and enjoy your last year as a young one.”

“Hmm,” Yang stroked her chin, “well when you put it that way…” Yang trailed off and considered her options as her roommate left her side to go retrieve her belongings from the bleachers. Yang followed her and took her bag before Pyrrha had a chance of carrying it along with her own things. “Can I join you?”

"The more the merrier.” Pyrrha nodded and searched her bag for her car keys.

“Yang Xiao Long? Wanting to study?” Weiss teased, comically slapping her hands against her cheeks. “I can’t believe I live to see this day.”

“Schnee, please.” Yang smirked and shook her finger at her. “Weren’t you the one who’s always telling to _Weiss_ up like your beloved Pyrrha?”

Weiss sputtered, her hands still placed on her cheeks.

Yang laughed and ran away towards the student parking lot to escape her friend’s wrath.

“Yang Xiao Long, you are insufferable!” Weiss shouted.

She swore she felt the icy winter from the glare Weiss sent her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blake’s number is from Alicia Key’s [Diary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCtH9lRj7Q) because of course it is.
> 
> Stay classy.


End file.
